


A Talent for Trouble

by Caryn_B



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Post-Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-16 03:16:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10562574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caryn_B/pseuds/Caryn_B
Summary: A surprising admission of Luke's gives Han plenty to think about during a visit to Lando's new mining project. Whilst there, Han and Luke discover, by accident, something even more surprising.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> More fluff and silliness... Written in 2006.

Han Solo paced the floor of Luke Skywalker's apartment with increasing impatience, his boots leaving dark scuff marks on the polished marble. He noted this with a small twinge of satisfaction. Since moving into this building, the army of droid cleaners had embarked upon a campaign to terrorize him into tidiness. It felt good to make another small stand against them, even if Luke would get the blame.

He glanced out of the window at the darkening skyline and shook his head. Just what was keeping Luke? First, he'd been an eternity in the shower. Now, he was spending half a lifetime looking for something to put on. The bar would be drained dry by the time they got there. Especially if Lando got there first.

"What're you _doing_ in there?" Han called out, not for the first time.

Luke emerged from the adjoining bedroom at last, dressed only in pants and a sleeveless top. He was barefoot, and his hair was still damp and tangled from the shower. Han eyed him warily. The bare feet were bad enough, but the sleeveless top was even more of a problem for Han. Not only was it was tight fitting, but also it didn't quite cover Luke's midriff, leaving a tantalizing inch of toned muscle on show.

Han swallowed. "You plannin' on going out like that?"

Luke glanced at him. "Not exactly. Why?"

"Dunno if it's the right thing to wear, that's all."

Luke shrugged, looking puzzled. "I didn't think you took any notice of what people wore. Except maybe Lando," he added as an afterthought.

"You might get cold." It seemed a valid point to make, because most places other than scorched, sweltering deserts felt cold to Luke. "And Lando deserves everything he gets," he threw in, with a grin.

"You're just jealous 'cause he gets so much attention. Anyway – no I'm not going out like this. I've been looking for something to put on, but you keep yelling at me. What's the problem?"

Han rolled his eyes, and tapped his chrono with exasperation. " _This_ is the problem. _Time_. Lando's gonna be under the table by the time we get there."

Luke held up a hand in apology. "Sorry. I couldn't get the shower to work properly. It kept cutting out."

"You shoulda said. I'd have helped sort it out." This was another problem with the apartments – the water supply was erratic, to say the least. Han seemed to have a knack for persuading it to cooperate, usually just by swearing at it.

"Well, I was covered in soap at the time."

"Oh, right," Han said, trying for a casually dismissive tone, and refusing to allow his mind to conjure up an image that might just be the last straw.

"And then someone – Threepio, obviously – seems to have taken all my clothes for cleaning. I've told him a million times that I'll do it myself, but you know what he's like. So if you can manage another few minutes without losing your voice, I'll just finish getting dressed."

Luke wandered back into the bedroom, not really showing any amount of haste despite Han's impatience. 

Han watched his retreating form, and considered just how wrong Luke could be at times. Because, in fact, Han took a great deal of interest in what Luke wore. Partly, this was on account of trying to spot any small areas of skin that Luke might inadvertently reveal. But mainly it was because Luke's clothes formed a substantial part of Han's imaginings. His imagining how to take them off that is. Luke ought to be proud of the effort Han put into those thoughts. He'd contemplated every plausible approach, and just to prove he didn't lack ingenuity, he'd thought of the implausible ones too. 

The door console gave a loud buzz. "Now what?" Han muttered under his breath. He flicked the intercom on. "Yes?"

"General Solo Sir, I have a delivery for Master Luke."

"Well it'd better be his clothes," Han snapped, hitting the mechanism. The door hissed open, revealing Threepio looking even more flustered than usual. The droid held out the delivery. It was a large, rectangular, gift-wrapped box.

"What's that?" Han asked, eyeing the package skeptically. "I hope you've had it checked through the security scanner."

"Of course." Threepio was indignant. "I'd never bring anything up here that might endanger Master Luke."

"Give it here then." Han grabbed the box and started to move away. A second later, he turned back to Threepio. "Oh, and by the way, Luke might want some of his clothes back. Your interference has lost me good drinking time."

Han didn't give the droid a chance to reply, but punched the mechanism to close the door in Threepio's face.

He stared at the box, nonplussed. As far as he knew, today wasn't a special day for Luke – so why anybody should be sending him a gift was a mystery.

"You celebratin' something?" he called out.

Luke appeared again, carrying his boots in one hand and his belt in the other. A long-sleeved wrap tunic now covered the sleeveless top. Whilst regretting the disappearance of Luke's midriff, Han acknowledged to himself that it did make certain things a lot easier. Breathing, for one. 

"No – why?"

"This came." Han indicated the parcel.

"Who brought it?"

"Goldenrod. There's a holofoil with it. Wanna know what it says?"

"Okay," Luke said, starting to pull on his boots.

Han held the holofoil up to a glowpanel on the wall, squinting at the undulating script. "Still waiting to hear from you. I'll be in touch soon." He paused for a moment. "What's that about?"

Luke sighed. "I've told Threepio about accepting stuff. I wish he wouldn't. It just makes things more complicated."

"What things?"

"Oh, you must get them too. All those messages and offers."

Han frowned. "What're you talking about? Offers for what? Jobs?"

"Hardly," Luke laughed. "I mean the more personal ones. I don't usually answer them obviously, but now Threepio's gone and taken that, I'll have to send some sort of reply."

"Where d'you get all these _offers_?" Han asked, still confused over exactly what Luke meant.

"Through the com-console."

"Your address code's private though, ain't it?"

"Yes, but the central receiver sends them on to me."

"If you're talkin' about anonymous junk, why d'you bother to get it sent on? Just get 'em to delete it down there."

Luke grimaced. "I can't do that Han."

"Why not?"

"Sometimes there's a _real_ message with them. I can't risk missing a genuine call for help just because I don't wanna bother wading through the rest."

" _Wading through?_ There's that many of 'em?" Han stalked over to Luke's com-console, all thoughts of Lando emptying the bar's supplies gone for the moment. He switched it on, keying in Luke's access code with easy familiarity.

"I wouldn't bother to read them," Luke suggested.

This went ignored because Han, by now, had begun to understand just what Luke meant by wading through them. 

"Why haven't you deleted them yourself?" he challenged.

"Give me a chance Han! I haven't been near the thing today."

Han leaned in further towards the screen, examining the dates of the messages with sudden realization. "These are just _today's_?" he asked, aghast.

"Yes. Like I said, I haven't had a chance to check them yet."

"You get this many every day?"

"More-or-less."

Han studied the list. They'd been addressed fairly randomly, mostly just to 'Luke Skywalker', or 'Jedi Skywalker'. A few asked for the 'Jedi Council' and although Luke hardly qualified as a Council, even if one existed, he'd ended up with those too. He could see Luke's point though. They were surrounded by so much security these days that they were in danger of appearing elitist and unapproachable. This was Luke's way of trying not to isolate himself from those who didn't have the facilities or the know-how to approach him officially. And that was fine, except there had to be a better way of filtering the mail, because Luke hardly had time to switch the console on, let alone check every message. 

Han began to scan through the details, expecting mainly to see inquiries for private Jedi-type business. There were several of those, together with the ubiquitous barrage of meaningless promises – eternal wealth, bodily enhancement and the like. But what he didn't expect to see were the kinds of requests for activities normally only seen on late-night premium-rate holonet channels. Or so he'd heard. 

Han reached behind him for a chair, fumbled with it, pulled it up and sat, all without taking his eyes from the screen.

"What're you doing?" Luke asked.

"Reading."

"Yeah, I can see that. _Why_ are you reading?"

"You hafta ask?"

"But it's only junk mail. It can't be any different from the type of stuff you get. Apart from the Jedi ones."

Han turned to look at Luke. "I don't get _anything_ like this." Han had a mail box, like everyone else in the Alliance set-up, but he never really looked at it. If anybody wanted him, there were better ways of finding him. It worried him, whilst at the same time touched him, that Luke hated to let anyone down. But there was only so much of him to go round, and this type of thing qualified as harassment.

Luke looked perplexed by Han's denial. "Oh – I thought everyone got this kind of stuff. Another side effect of people knowing who we are."

"Luke – people get everything under the suns sent by holomail, but mostly it's just bulk-mailing crap. This is much more... personal." He turned back to the screen.

"I mean, these people are unbelievable," Han continued, indignation taking over from amazement. "Some of this stuff is just plain crazy."

"I know. I can't figure out why I get sent anything like that."

Han twisted back round in the chair to look at him again. Clearly, Luke was under the impression that Han found the idea of anybody wanting to do anything remotely physical with him to be a strange idea, but that hadn't been what Han meant at all. Explaining that was problematic, but then understanding why he found the whole matter so disturbing was difficult too. 

"I don't mean it's ridiculous that they'd like to be with you," he clarified, choosing his words carefully. "Just that it should stay right where it is – in their heads. And some of the things they're suggestin' – I can't even work out how you'd do them."

"Probably best not to try," Luke advised.

"I mean, a Shassonite? I don't even know which end is which."

Luke laughed. "I expect they've got a pretty good idea of what bit to put where."

Han cleared his throat. "Right." It seemed a good idea to move quickly on from that message, before too many uninvited visual images encroached.

Some of the messages, if you took away their intrusive element, were almost laughable. "Hey, talk about bragging!" Han scoffed. "This guy from Ukam thinks he could do all that at the same time? Come on, how modest can you get?"

"If he's a Ukamian, then he's probably got six hands," Luke said with some amusement.

"Six?" Han was proud of the level tone he'd managed, even if his voice did come out a little croakier than he'd anticipated.

He scanned through a few more messages in silence, aware of Luke's increasing discomfiture behind him. Whether this was caused by the contents of the messages themselves, or by Han's attitude towards them wasn't at all clear, but Han guessed if he didn't manage to drag himself away from the screen soon, Luke would begin to ask awkward questions. 

With some reluctance, he rotated the chair away from the console. "Aren't you shocked by all of this?"

"It depends on what you mean by shocked," Luke said, frowning. "Shocked that people see me like that, or shocked by the contents?"

"Well, they _are_ pretty explicit. And you're... well, you're..."

"I'm what? I'm not straight off the farm any more Han."

"I know that. That's not what I meant."

"What then? You think I'm a prude?"

"No – not that either! I guess I didn't think you were interested, that's all. In a relationship I mean. Of that kind. So to have all these people harassing you–"

"Why d'you think I'm not interested?" Luke interrupted. "Because I don't respond to pick-ups in bars?"

"No." Han shook his head, feeling like he was getting into deep water with all of this. He certainly hadn't meant to offend Luke. "Because of the Jedi thing. I thought maybe you thought it wasn't right for you."

"Oh," Luke said, looking startled. "Is that how you see me? I know there's stuff that seems strange to you, and maybe I look at some things differently – but whatever you think, I'm still the same person underneath. I've just got an ordinary body, you know."

Han _had_ noticed it, although ordinary wouldn't be a word that'd instantly spring to mind. "So you're saying you _are_ interested then?"

"Not in those who send these messages – of course not. But if the right person came along and asked me, then yes, I'd probably be interested. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

Actually, it didn't come close, but Han thought it best not to mention that. But he still persisted where he should've given up. "What d'you mean, the right person? Has anyone like that asked you?" he demanded.

"Come on Han, what is this? You're starting to sound like Uncle Owen."

Bossy and grumpy Luke's uncle may have been, but any similarity Han suspected he had to the late Owen Lars ended right there. He was prepared to guarantee that Lars had never been kept awake at nights, thinking of a million and one ways to seduce a Jedi.

"Just wonderin' what kinda person would be the right kind," Han said, a little defensively. "Maybe you go in for Shassonites with unidentifiable parts, or Ukamians with six hands. Sounds like they've got quite a lot to offer."

Luke shook his head with exasperation. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go on." Han's tone was cautious.

"Why are you so put out about all this? I mean, it's not as though it means anything. I don't encourage people to write this stuff, and I'm hardly gonna start jumping into bed with someone just because they've got a few extra hands."

"Yeah – you've got a point there. You can have too much of a good thing. I mean, might be a bit distracting, all those fingers."

"You know, you're impossible sometimes," Luke laughed. "Are we going out or do you feel the need to go into each message in explicit detail?"

What Han really felt the need for couldn't be elaborated on, at least not outside the confines of his overactive mind. But it had something to do with the urge to demonstrate to Luke just how much could be achieved with a single pair of hands. 

"We're goin' out," he said, shutting down the console with a show of decisiveness. In any case, reading just a few of those messages had filled his mind with more than enough new and intriguing images. Adding even more probably wouldn't be advisable – his imagination was already going into overdrive.

***

Lando wasn't so much under the table when they arrived, as under siege from a number of attentive admirers. This was standard procedure for Lando, and whatever he said to the contrary, everyone knew he actively encouraged it.

"You took your time." Lando peered up at Han and Luke through the bevy of fans encircling him. 

"Yeah, well we had a few computer problems," Han muttered, scowling at the uninvited occupants of what should've been their booth. This had the desired effect, as one by one, Lando's new companions took the hint and drifted away.

"That wasn't very sociable," Lando complained. "What's got into you tonight?"

"Thought you wanted to talk about setting up your rulara mine. It's tricky doin' that when people are feeling up your leg," Han said, with a sardonic smile.

Lando turned defensive. "Speak for yourself old buddy. In my experience, most things are only made better by it. In any case, I had to do something to pass the time."

"I'll go and get some drinks," Luke put in quickly, clearly hoping to forestall the argument that'd been brewing inside Han since Threepio had turned up with the unexpected package. 

"Yeah, you do that," Han muttered. "Looks like we've got some catchin' up to do." He cast a baleful eye over the array of empty glasses littering the table.

After Luke had gone, Lando leaned back in his seat, stretching his legs out under the table. "Terrible thing that, lust," he murmured.

"What're you talking about?"

"You _can_ take your eyes off him. He's not gonna disappear."

"Get lost, Lando."

"Hey, just 'cause you're suffering from unrequited love, don't take it out on me."

"The only thing I'm sufferin' from is having to listen to you. And the fact I haven't had a drink all night."

"I reckon you're worried someone might try 'n pick him up," Lando said.

"Hey – d'you just open your mouth and this stuff comes out, or d'you plan it all ahead?"

"I've got eyes in my head buddy, and I've seen where _your_ eyes always end up. Maybe you just don't realize it."

"You know what? I _have_ just realized something."

"Oh yeah?"

"That you're an asshole." Han badly needed a drink, and if Luke didn't hurry up he was going to have to drink Lando's cocktail. It wasn't a pretty sight, but it was alcohol, and he was starting to feel very wound up. The other thing, was that Han knew damned well that no amount of verbal abuse towards Lando would put his friend off the scent. He had to come up with some sort of valid reason for the attention he'd shown Luke.

"Actually, for your information, I _was_ thinking about someone tryin' to pick him up, but only 'cause I've just found out he gets harassed about it every day. Who knows what people might try?"

Lando leaned forward with curiosity. "I'm sure Luke can take care of himself, but what d'you mean by harassed?"

"Messages. Sent to the Alliance's holomail receiver."

"What about?"

"Invitations," Han muttered darkly.

"To do what?"

"You name it, it's there. Shouldn't be allowed."

Lando gave a short guffaw. "Which particular thing? People shouldn't be allowed to do certain things, or nobody should be allowed to think naughty thoughts about Luke?" 

"It's not funny. I mean thinking things is one thing, inflicting them on someone is another. It's outta line. And intrusive."

"Is Luke bothered by it?"

Han shrugged. "He hasn't said. I think he's just puzzled as to why anyone would wanna do things with him."

"Now that _is_ weird."

"Hey, you'd better not be–"

Lando cut in, his hands held out in apology. "Don't overreact – I don't mean anything by it. But you gotta admit, there's something about him."

"Whatever you're thinkin', it's down to you. Leave me out of it."

"Hah! You gonna look me in the eye and tell me your thoughts about Luke are pure as an Adarian snowstorm?"

"Got it in one, pal."

"Yeah, course they are." Lando grinned. His gaze shifted to where Luke wound his way back through the crowd, carefully clutching three glasses. "Now there's something to feast your eyes on."

"Don't push it," Han warned.

Lando adopted a tone of wounded innocence. "I meant the drinks." 

"What took you so long?" Han grumbled, as Luke placed the drinks down – two large tankards of beer, plus another heavily decorated and luridly-colored cocktail for Lando. Han grimaced at it.

"There was a rush at the bar. And then somebody stopped me to ask me something."

"Ask you what?" Han demanded with a suspicious frown.

Luke cast a quizzical look at Han. "When the Alliance would be discussing the lower-level housing problem."

"Really?" Han's tone was acerbic, and across from him Lando shook his head in despair.

"Yes, really. What did you think it'd be about?" An edge of annoyance had crept into Luke's voice.

"I don't know what to think anymore." 

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Lando tapped the table. "How 'bout we all agree to get on with each other tonight? Going out with friends is supposed to fun ain't it? Seems like the two of you got out the wrong side of bed this morning."

"Nothin' wrong with me," Han snapped. "It's just everyone else."

"Why don't we talk about the mining project?" Luke suggested. "What's going to happen tomorrow Lando?"

Lando pulled out a datapad from inside his cloak and flicked it open with a proud flourish. "Look, here's one of the plots."

Luke took the proffered datapad and studied it for a while. "Looks good. We'll get a better idea when we actually see it though." He handed over the datapad to Han.

The image on the screen showed a large open yard and a few duracrete buildings, but not much else. Han gave a short, cynical laugh. "Yeah, looks terrific. What did you say you were gonna be mining – dust?"

"That's just where the office compound'll be. The mine's all the land round the back of there," Lando explained to Luke, ignoring Han's comment completely. "The rulara has to be stabilized after you've excavated it, so there needs to be a supply of running water."

"There's a water source on the land?" Luke asked.

"Yeah. You'll see tomorrow. You're still gonna come aren't you?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Han put in, even though it was clear that Lando had decided to carry on talking solely to Luke. He sipped at his beer, eyeing the other two over the rim of his tankard. Luke was paying close attention to Lando, studying the datapad with a good show of enthusiasm. You had to hand it to him – even if he thought Lando's project was the most boring thing since moisture farming, he'd never let it show. Luke made just about everyone feel good, and maybe that was part of what was bugging Han tonight. He'd discovered, in the space of a few luridly-phrased messages, just _how_ good Luke made others feel, and he wasn't sure he liked it. 

And it wasn't just the number of messages, but the variety. They came from every known corner of the galaxy and probably a few unknown ones too. And from every species, including those known best for their active dislike of humans. The closest Han had ever come to an intimate suggestion from a Sanyassan had been when one had threatened to stick something large and spiky up his ass. He didn't think that counted really. Whereas Luke, without having made the slightest conscious effort about it, seemed to be attractive to just about everyone.

Han knew that Luke assumed the interest stemmed from the fact that he was, to his discomfort, now famous throughout the galaxy. That he was attracting celebrity-hunters, and those who believed he was rich and powerful. Han also knew, instinctively, that those motives weren't the primary incentives behind the messages. Okay, there were undoubtedly those who _did_ have those reasons, and others who got some sort of kick out of fantasizing about a Jedi, but Han suspected the main impetus behind the fascination with Luke was Luke himself. Like Lando had said, there was just something about him. 

It didn't help that Han knew he was equally as guilty. His thoughts about Luke were as exhaustive and as explicit as those detailed in the messages. But it wasn't the same. For a start, he _knew_ Luke. That had to count for something. The writers of those graphic letters knew next to nothing about him, and probably cared less. And furthermore, Han kept his fantasies all to himself. He'd never tried to force them on Luke where they might not be welcome. 

And while it was true that Han had fallen victim to the same physical attraction that seemed to have afflicted a great many others, it wasn't _just_ about sex. Regardless of how much he wanted Luke – and on a scale of one to ten, twenty came close to the mark – he wanted a whole lot more than that. He'd felt like this for a long time, and it wasn't getting any easier. If this had been about anyone else, Han would've made his move a long while back, and if he'd been rejected he'd have shrugged and moved on. But Luke was Luke. He defied categorization, and he'd unconsciously made Han discard every rule Han had once told himself he lived by. The fact was, if Han couldn't have everything, he'd settle for nothing but his imagination.

***

The following morning, the fact that a few things went right for Han lulled him into a false sense of security. And really, the caf-maker working on the second time, rather than the fifth, ought to have alerted him to _something_. Han and machinery maintained a precarious co-existence at the best of times. Furthermore, he'd barely needed to raise his voice to get the shower to deliver a decent supply of hot water, and to top it all, he didn't even have a bad head, which was remarkable seeing as he'd spent the whole of the previous evening drinking solidly in an attempt to filter out Lando's insufferable cheerfulness. 

The memory of last night did dampen Han's mood slightly, but Luke wasn't known for holding grudges, and would've hopefully forgotten about Han's grumpiness. Usually, Luke just ignored it, but this time Han suspected he'd done a little more than just aggravate his friend. Han's efforts to make amends on the walk back to the apartments, even offering to make Luke a late night caf, had been misinterpreted as another attempt by Han to get more leverage out of the com-console message situation. Luke had declined the caf coolly, and left Han standing by his apartment door. Han had watched Luke ignore the lift-tube in favor of the stairs, as he so often did, then had let himself into his apartment, wondering why it felt even emptier than usual.

Still reasonably cheerful, Han reached Luke's apartment and pressed his hand to the buzzer. When there was no immediate response, he tried again. There was no possibility that Luke was still asleep. Ever since Han had known him, he'd woken at the first signs of dawn, a permanent consequence of having lived on Tatooine. There, it was infinitely preferable to get the worst of the work done in the cooler morning air than to fry half to death in the middle of the afternoon.

When he still failed to get an answer from Luke, Han's good mood began to fray at the edges. 

He stood there for a few moments staring at the door control, struck with far-from-customary indecision. Sure, he was calling on Luke earlier than their pre-arranged time, but he hadn't anticipated that Luke wouldn't be there. Half of him was tempted just to leave. This idea filled him with a vague sense of satisfaction, because he could miss out on Lando's little get-together without anyone accusing him of not making some effort. But the other half of him rebelled against it. Because, despite his outward show of cynicism over Lando's plans, he was genuinely quite interested in them. And furthermore, this was a chance for a two-day break with Luke where he might actually get some quality time with his friend. 

"Han." Luke's voice came from behind him, startling Han out of his contemplation of the door. "I didn't expect you this early."

"Yeah, that's obvious," Han muttered, turning round slowly.

Luke frowned slightly. "D'you wanna come in for a few minutes? I've just got to make a couple of com-calls, then we can go."

Han followed Luke inside, studying his appearance surreptitiously. Luke was slightly out of breath, as though he'd been training, but he wasn't dressed for running.

"Where've you been?" Han asked, and immediately regretted the way it'd come out. 

Luke looked at him a little strangely. "Why?"

"Just askin' out of interest."

"You're not though, are you? This is to do with yesterday, isn't it?"

"What're you talkin' about?"

"Those messages. And the box that Threepio brought up. I _can_ look after myself Han." 

"You've been meeting someone then?"

Luke stared at him for a moment. "I've been to see someone. It took longer than I expected so I had to rush back. This trip's important to Lando." He paused for a few seconds. "If you're still coming that is."

"That's why I'm here," Han grunted. "Did you have a good time?"

"A good time where?"

"Out with whoever you were out with. Seems a funny time to meet someone, first thing in the morning. Unless you went out again last night."

Luke shook his head, clearly bemused. "Actually, I went to the base to see Wedge. He's been on shift all night, just got back in. He wanted Artoo's help with something, so I took him over. Does that meet with your approval?"

"Since when have you ever needed my approval?" Han shot back, whilst at the same time mentally cursing himself for being unable to stop. He knew he was going about things in totally the wrong way, and he had no right whatsoever to question Luke's private life. And Luke's response to his attitude was hardly the type of reaction Han wanted. If he didn't manage to shut himself up, it might end up with Luke making further comparisons to Uncle Owen, because it just wouldn't occur to Luke that Han was having big problems with jealousy. And this was without any real reason to _be_ jealous. Gods help him if Luke _did_ start seeing someone.

Luke's eyes flashed with something that could've been annoyance, but could equally have been any number of other things. "No I don't _need_ your approval I guess, but I don't need your disapproval either. And I'd really like to know what's bothering you so much. I mean, you've never been that interested in what I've done in private before, and suddenly you want to know my every move."

"You've got it all wrong," Han insisted. "It's only 'cause I didn't realize you... well, that I didn't know..."

"Didn't realize what? That I have feelings, the same as you? Why do I get the impression you don't like it? You want me to sit inside for the rest of my life meditating, or are you just shocked because that's not all I want to do?" 

"Just ease off a bit, will ya?"

"How about if _you_ ease off," Luke suggested, his manner turning cool. "You're the one who's so uptight about everything."

"I don't wanna ease off! I wanna forget we're even having this stupid conversation."

"I didn't realize it was a conversation. But yeah, I'm happy to forget about it. I'll make those calls, then we can go and meet Lando." Luke walked abruptly over to the com-console without a second glance, and switched it on. 

Han watched him for a moment, wondering just how much more idiotic he could get. He couldn't blame Luke for being angry, but the thing that struck Han most was just how unusual it was these days to see Luke so riled up. Composure was Luke's main persona, and even though he partially shelved that in the company of friends, he wasn't anywhere near as hot-tempered as he used to be. Han knew that, because trying to provoke Luke was a major fascination for him. Luke in a temper, with his eyes flashing and cheeks flushed was something to behold, and Han had to admit to being more than a little addicted to it. 

If it had been about anything else, Han might've pushed it even further, to see how far he could go, but common sense held him back. He kept his thoughts to himself instead, and waited for Luke to finish his transmissions.

They made their way down in the lift-tube in an uncomfortable silence, which had barely lifted by the time they reached the Falcon. Lando was leaning against the closed ramp, arms folded. He rolled his eyes when he saw them.

"I hope the two of you aren't gonna argue the whole time, 'cause two days of that is two days too many."

"We're not arguing," Han protested. "'S just, well... you know Luke. He disagrees with people on principle." Han cast a swift, apologetic grin at Luke, a clear peace offering.

After a moment's hesitation, Luke grinned back at him in an acceptance of Han's apology. "I only disagree with people who think their opinions are the final word on anything."

"That's why we hardly ever argue," Han said. "'Cause I'm the open-minded one around here."

"Yeah, right," Lando muttered. "Now we've got that sorted out, shall we get on? We've got a lot to get through."


	2. Chapter 2

The Falcon came down on a makeshift pad that served the plots Lando had bought. He was clearly going to need to expend a great deal of money and energy on the place, but one thing Lando excelled at was seeing future possibilities. During his time as Cloud City's Administrator, Lando had actively pursued every lucrative opportunity that came his way, amassing small but respectable profits from each. Added together, these now gave him a head start in building up his new business.

They went first to a low, duracrete block that acted as Lando's temporary headquarters. It had originally been a dwelling, and Lando was going to live there whilst the bulk of the complex was completed. After that, he was going to set his mind to planning a new villa for himself. 

The block was functional and basic, but Lando had already stamped his mark on it, filling it with opulent furnishings that looked incongruous against the grey uniformity of the walls. 

"Dump your bags in there." Lando pointed to a room a few yards off down one of the corridors. "One of you can sleep there. Sorry it's kinda rustic. My protocol droid's gonna sort out another room once he's got the water supply fixed up to it."

They started the tour of the place straight away, beginning with the land immediately adjacent to the duracrete block.

"As I said in the bar last night, this is where the admin complex'll be," Lando explained. "My offices, the sales offices – all that sorta stuff. The yards'll be set aside for visitors' transports. Maybe a display room too."

They headed out further, away from the buildings, and Luke and Han began to see small, glittery particles of a pale green mineral amongst the dry earth of the area.

Luke scuffed at the ground with his boot. "Is this shiny stuff the rulara?"

Lando grinned. "Yeah. Pretty ain't it? But that's just worthless dust. Wait till I show you the proper seams. The mine's full of it – huge layers of the stuff. Gonna make me a fortune."

"You hope," Han said.

"I _know_ , 'cause this beautiful stuff ain't just a pretty face. It's capable of storing ten times more energy than yalarian crystals."

"Why hasn't anyone already mined it, if it's that useful?" Luke asked. "It's not exactly hidden."

"Economics," Lando replied. "The Empire was making several million credits an hour on limiting the supply of yalarian crystals, and it wanted to keep it that way. Alternatives – and better ones at that – would've lowered the value of the crystals."

"They could've run both though – made just as big a profit out of selling this."

"They were going to, eventually, when they thought the time was right. Even set up some of the tunnels in readiness. But then somebody went and ruined their plans by blowing up the previous owner."

"Who was it?" Han asked.

"None other than Admiral Motti."

Han and Luke looked at each other, Han giving a small shrug. "Never heard of him."

"But you knew his ship – if you wanna call it that. Had a very prestigious career ahead of him, in charge of one of the most powerful hunks of metal in the galaxy. Answering to Grand Moff Tarkin no less. So I guess he had a few other things to occupy his mind, and he put the rulara mine on a back burner." 

"He was on the Death Star?" Luke asked, astounded. 

"How in all hells did you get hold of a piece of land worth a small fortune, off a deceased Imperial Admiral?" Han asked.

"Contacts, my friend, contacts. Nothing beats 'em."

Han shook his head with disbelief, and grinned at Luke. "You 'n me are in the wrong business."

Lando gave an expansive smile. "Hey – you wanna cut in? Okay with me. Course, you'd have to do some work..."

"Count me out – if I was rich as well, I'd be spending all my time fightin' them off," Han said.

"What, your army of admirers you mean?" Lando scoffed. "As well as what, anyway?"

"Obvious, ain't it?"

"Not to the non-delusional among us." Lando waved a hand around him. "This is what it's all about. Grabbing your opportunities when they arise. If you don't go for it, you're gonna have a lot of regrets," he finished, looking meaningfully at Han.

Han scowled at him. "What is this, Tip of the Day? I thought we were gettin' a tour." Lando making pointed remarks to Han was one thing, but doing it in front of Luke was another, because Luke was far too capable of reading between the lines. Even if Luke didn't get what Lando was obliquely referring to, he knew _something_ was going on beneath the surface. 

Han looked across to catch Luke studying him, something like a question in his eyes. Han simply shrugged. After all, Lando didn't have a clue what he was talking about, so it was perfectly reasonable for Han to dismiss it.

"This is where I'm gonna site the main storage yards," Lando said. "Plenty of open space for the transports to load up." He pulled his datapad out from beneath his cloak and flipped it open.

"I got someone to pull together some visuals. I didn't show you these last night 'cause you need to be on the spot to understand 'em."

Lando handed the datapad to Luke, who studied it closely. "Looks impressive. When d'you start?"

"Soon as I get my team together," Lando explained. "I've got some old associates from Cloud City expressing an interest."

Han raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, I'll bet."

"Hey, I'm not gonna start handing out shares in this little place without some sorta incentive. They want in, they're gonna hafta stump up the credits. They know the score. And I get to keep overall control whatever happens."

Han had moved to peer over Luke's shoulder at the datapad, examining the three-dimensional images on the screen. The plans were ambitious and the designs presumably the height of fashion, but then nothing less would've suited Lando. "You've got a helluva lot to do to get from this," he indicated the scrubby land around them, "to these." He gestured at the plans.

Lando shrugged. "I like a challenge. In any case, I know what works by now, and I've got a good feeling about this place."

Lando's comlink beeped and he thumbed it on, listened for a moment. "Tell him to hang on for five minutes and I'll be right over."

He flicked the comlink off and grinned broadly at Han and Luke. "Things are startin' to happen already! My foreman over at the temporary depot has just received a delivery of beam-drill power cells. I'm gonna dash over there and join him for a few minutes, 'cause I wanna try to get a good margin sorted out on a regular supply."

"What d'you want us to do? Come over too?" Luke asked.

"No – it'll be chaos there now. There's not enough room. Why don't you take the datapad and head over to the mine complex – or at least to where it's gonna be? Check out the visuals, 'cause it won't make sense without 'em. I'll join you over there as soon as I can." 

Lando turned back in the direction of the admin complex, then hesitated a moment before looking back at them.

"You two take care of that datapad. I don't have another copy of those plans yet – and that particular datacard cost me a packet."

Han rolled his eyes. "I think we can handle a datapad."

As soon as Lando had left, Han reached for the datapad. "Gimme that will ya?"

He studied it for a few moments in silence. "He can't just have a _normal_ mine can he?" he asked.

"Well, this _is_ Lando."

"Sure. But a _leisure center_? A _casino_? No-one's gonna get any work done."

"Cloud City had those things though, didn't it? Or so you told me."

Han nodded. "Yeah. It had some other things too, if I remember correctly," he grimaced.

They looked at each other for a long moment before Luke gave a half smile. "Shall we go and look at the mine?" he asked quietly.

"Okay." Han wasn't certain he wanted such an abrupt end to this particular subject, but then he wasn't sure just where they could take it next. They'd had so many conversations about Bespin, it was difficult to know what else to say. But oddly, Han always felt like he was missing something, and the shadows that crossed Luke's face whenever he tried to probe deeper just added further weight to his suspicions. Whatever it was, it went beyond the obvious nightmarish memories the place held for them both. He often wondered if he should press Luke harder, but then Luke was entitled to his reluctance to relive the horror of it.

So instead, they used the datapad to orient themselves in the direction of the mine, their route skirting the edge of a fast-running river that Lando needed to utilize in the stabilizing process.

Luke peered over the edge of the bank and studied the water for a moment. He gave a slight shiver.

Noticing, Han grinned. "It's only water."

"I know. But it looks cold."

"It probably is, runnin' that fast." He looked into the distance to the hills that formed the horizon. "It's come down from there. There's snow on the top of 'em."

Luke followed his gaze. "Looks pretty – from a distance."

"But there's snow, and then there's _snow_ ," Han said. "How the hell we ever managed to choose a dump like Hoth to live on beats me."

"When you're desperate, you'll go anywhere. But it wasn't exactly my favorite place." Luke turned back round to face Han. "It came pretty close to being my _last_ place too, if it hadn't been for you."

Han shrugged. "I didn't do anything you wouldn't've done." He held Luke's eyes for a brief moment, thrown for the second time by that questioning gaze. An undercurrent of feeling, similar to that induced by talk of Bespin, was at play here, and Han was struggling to pin it down. And then the moment was over, and Luke was turning his concentration back to the datapad, and pointing to the mine's entrance.

He headed off in that direction, and Han followed, dissatisfied by his inability to identify the source of this new uncertainty.

Something was going on here, but Luke could be unfathomable at times. It had nothing to do with all the usual stuff, because they'd been through that before – acknowledging the risks each other had taken to save one another's lives, understanding that their friendship revolved around an unspoken commitment that neither of them would ever default on. Those reasons alone were enough to mean that Han would never think twice about rushing off into a Hoth blizzard to find Luke. He didn't need his other, private, reasons to do that, so further justification was unnecessary. Nor did he think Luke was looking for further justification – but he was certainly looking for _something_.

***

The old entrance to the mine was in a state of disrepair. Wooden scaffolding that had supported the crumbling edges of the tunnel had decayed badly, and when Han put a hand to one of the struts, a fine rain of dust came down from the roof. "Looks a bit unsafe," he commented unnecessarily.

"We'd better wait here for Lando," Luke suggested. "I don't think he'd be too pleased if we go in and manage to collapse half the mine."

Han eyed the tunnel dubiously. "I think you're right. Let's have a look at the datapad again."

They opened it up once more, and studied the projected visuals of the complex. Lando's plans included a much wider entrance, with a repulsor-truck system running staff and supplies between the surface and the deep mine lifts. There were three main shafts, each plunging down into a large network of interlocking passages.

A heavy-duty lifting system was planned to take the rulara to the surface, and straight to a processing depot where it would be stabilized and prepared for energy charging.

Luke gestured to a large, open area to the side of the mine entrance. "That leads round the back. Must be where he's gonna build the processing plant."

They scrambled around the side, across the uneven, rocky ground that formed the lid of the tunnel. The open area was backed by the river, which widened at that point into something resembling a lake. The dry, stony ground had given way to marshy grassland, which bordered the edges of the lake. They walked carefully across to the banks, avoiding the most obviously waterlogged areas.

Han scrolled through the datapad plans until he reached the one detailing the processing plant. "You know, he's gonna have his work cut out draining this whole area to make it stable enough."

Luke pressed his boot into the boggy soil. Water welled up into the hollow he'd made. "The other side of the river looks better. The ground's higher – gonna be drier."

Han turned round to look, not concentrating on where his feet were going. The deceptively regular piece of ground they were standing on was riddled with hollows masked by the reedy grass, and he swore loudly as his foot disappeared into one. He flung his arms out, struggling to regain his balance. In the same instant, the datapad flew from his hand towards the lake.

Han's second curse came at the exact same moment that Luke stretched his arm out. It happened so fast that Han barely saw it. One moment the datapad was making its one-way journey towards destruction, and the next it was safely in Luke's grasp.

Han grinned slowly at Luke. "Handy trick."

"Lando'll kill us both if we lose it," Luke said, scrutinizing the rescued datapad with some relief.

Han's grin widened. "Slowly and painfully." He edged away from the suspect piece of ground and made his way towards Luke. 

"Just as well I promised him we'd look after it," he added, fielding the look Luke threw him with a shrug of exaggerated nonchalance. 

"I think I'll hold it from now on," Luke suggested. "Perhaps we'd better..." he tailed off, seemingly distracted by a movement from the surface of the lake. "What's that?"

Han peered in the direction Luke was looking. There was a flash of bright green as something briefly broke the surface of the lake, then disappeared again.

"I reckon it's a viridiadon," Han said. "It must've seen us, or heard us."

"What's a viridiadon? Some sort of fish?"

"Nah. It's a reptile. It'll be watching us now, wonderin' what we're gonna do. They'll eat anything – even things twice their size."

"Are you talking about us? It's seeing us as prey?"

Han shrugged. "Probably. Just don't go any closer to the edge. Things have a habit of trying to eat you. One of these days..."

Luke stared at him for a moment, before his face broke into a grin. "You're making this up. You don't know what it is any more than I do."

"Well we don't know it's not dangerous then, do we?" Han smirked.

The creature chose that moment to surface again, breaking through the water with a resounding splash and a high-pitched screech.

Surprised, Han spun around – a mistake he'd made once already, because one foot plunged straight into another hole. He had just a second to reflect that at least, this time, Luke was holding the datapad, before he grabbed hold of Luke's arm to steady himself. 

It was a futile gesture, because all he managed to do was to overbalance Luke too, his heavier weight sending them both crashing down into the marshy edges of the lake. 

The shock of cold water made them both gasp, and Han quickly pulled his hand away from something that squirmed beneath it. He blinked water out of his eyes, and tried to make sense of his new position.

"Any chance you might move?" Luke asked, slightly breathlessly.

Han looked down into Luke's eyes. No wonder his landing had been cushioned. Luke had taken the full brunt of the fall, and Han's weight on top of him was probably one thing too many. He wasn't surprised that Luke looked a little aggrieved. It took him a second longer to realize where his left thigh had ended up.

Hastily, Han pulled himself off Luke and got to his feet before the wrong kind of ideas began to form in his head. He extended an apologetic hand to Luke, and hauled him up out of the water.

They stood there on the muddy bank for a few seconds in confounded silence, letting the excess water drain off them. Han noted out of the corner of his eye that the green creature was floating in the middle of the lake, studying them with some curiosity. It didn't look particularly unfriendly.

"My blaster's soaked," he grumbled, unhooking his dripping weapons belt.

"I think a bit more than just your blaster got wet!" Luke exclaimed in exasperation. He'd moved back to a patch of ground that was a lot drier and seemed more stable.

Han followed him. "Yeah, well. Sorry."

"Maybe you shouldn't make any more sudden moves." 

"I'll try to remember that," he grinned. "But you've gotta admit, it's pretty funny."

"Yeah, hilarious," Luke returned, "but not half as funny as Lando's gonna find this."

He reached down and retrieved a slim, metallic object, caked in mud and grass, and dripping with water. Lando's precious datapad. 

Han stared at in dismay before the lopsided grin returned. "But _you_ were holding it. You can't blame me."

"Just try me," Luke said, an ominous glint in his eyes.

"Hey – it's probably alright. Those things are indestructible."

"You'd better hope so."

"Just dry it off a little."

"What with? The set of spare clothes I carry around with me on the off chance some idiot might throw me in a lake?"

"Give it a little time to drain off, and it'll be as good as new," Han suggested, unperturbed. He studied the ground around him, chose a spongy mound of grass, and sat down to attempt to pull off his boots. He wasn't entirely convinced that his optimism over the datapad was warranted, and neither was he certain that Lando would see the funny side of it, but he wasn't about to admit that in a hurry.

Luke stood above him, watching him struggle with the waterlogged boots. Glancing up at him, several thoughts passed through Han's mind, including how good it had been, despite the circumstances, to have Luke pinned beneath him for a few seconds. And how ridiculous the whole situation was. That here were two so-called heroes of the rebellion, blundering around like some inept comedy act. But the overriding thought was that Luke looked anything but amusing standing there. He'd run his hand through wet hair, and it stuck on end in a wild tangle, complete with bits of grass and twigs. His saturated clothes were plastered to his body, and clung in several places that very definitely warranted a second look. Han concentrated harder on his boots, and tried to replicate the sensation of his plunge into the cold water.

The next time Han dared to look up, Luke was making a concerted effort to restore the datapad to its former glory, using the hem of his soaked tunic to remove the mud, and drying it off with leaves. Tentatively, he opened it up and switched it on. Breathed a sigh of relief and glanced over at Han.

"Told you it'd be okay," Han said, pulling his emptied boots back on and levering himself to his feet.

Luke didn't reply, but just rolled his eyes at Han and set off in the direction of the mine entrance.

It was there that Lando rejoined them, stopping in his tracks when he noticed their appearance.

"How in the name of... Hey, you'd better not have–"

"Don't get your cloak in a twist," Han interrupted. "The datapad's fine. But I think we could do with a hot shower."

"I leave you for just ten minutes, and you end up in the water? You know what _you've_ got don't you?"

"Wet clothes?"

"A talent for trouble," Lando proclaimed with a self-satisfied smile, taking the datapad from Luke and slipping it safely inside his cloak.

"Good to know I've got a talent for _something_."

"And how the hell the two of you managed to bring down the Empire I'll never know."

"We ran into something," Han protested. "Some wild, green thing. Scary lookin'. We had to distract it."

"By falling in the lake?" Lando asked with derision. "What creature anyway? There's nothing ferocious for a 1000-mile radius around here. And the only green creatures I can think of are the marsh-divers. About half the size of a human, amphibious, friendly. _Vegetarian_."

"Sounds like the thing we saw," Luke said with a pointed glance at Han. He shivered a little. "Look, anyone mind if I head back to get dried off – I'm kinda cold?" Without waiting for an answer he set off back in the direction of the admin block. Han and Lando followed on behind.

"How did we know what its intentions were? It was staring at us."

"Maybe it was after your ass," Lando snickered. He studied the sight of Luke walking in front of them, and raised his eyebrows slightly. "Or more likely, Luke's."

Han threw Lando an accusatory scowl. "I saw that look."

Lando shrugged. 'I can _look_ can't I?"

***

Luke had made it back to the duracrete block just ahead of Han and Lando, and Han found him in the room where they'd left their bags. He was struggling with his weapons belt.

"What're you doing?" Han asked from the doorway, suddenly flustered.

"Taking my belt off."

"You're gonna get changed in here?"

"Where else d'you expect me to do it?" Luke asked with a confused frown. 

"Lando said he was gettin' another room," Han said, trying to dampen the note of panic that had crept into his voice. 

"I know. But he hasn't told us it's been sorted out yet. Or even that this is _your_ room. What difference does it make anyway? I'm not gonna be long in the shower." He flung the weapons belt over the back of a chair and started on the fastenings of his tunic. But the sodden fabric loops clung stubbornly to the fasteners, he was starting to shiver in earnest, and his left hand didn't seem to be obeying him.

"Can you help me with these? I can't feel my fingers."

Han stared at him mutely. Taking Luke's clothes off had formed a part of his fantasies for so long now, he probably knew how each fastener worked better than Luke. But this reality bore no relation to his night-time indulgences, and there wasn't a hope in hell he'd get through the encounter without slipping-up somehow. And if Luke couldn't manage his tunic, did that mean he'd need help with _other_ items of clothing?

"Han!"

"What? No! I can't. You'll have to do it yourself. I'm no good with things like that."

"What – clothes?" Luke said with incredulity. "What's the matter with you? My fingers have just gone numb, that's all."

"Look, I just can't, okay. Go 'n run your hand under hot water for a minute. I er... I'm gonna go find Lando – ask him if he's got that other room sorted." Han grabbed his bag and started to back away towards the door, conscious that Luke was staring at him in total astonishment.

"What is it?"

Han put up a hand in a reconciliatory manner, but didn't move from the doorway. "Nothing. Just... don't ask."

Luke shook his head, still mystified. "I don't understand."

"You don't need to."

"Maybe _I_ think I need to."

"Trust me, you don't." Luke had fixed him with one of his intense, scrutinizing looks – the kind Han always found it difficult to look away from. He was having the same problem now, even though half his mind told him he should have left the room several seconds ago. Even then, it might've been too late, because Luke had seen something in Han's manner that brought a flicker of disbelief to his eyes. 

That small flicker grew into something else as Luke silently held Han's gaze, and Han accepted that he'd probably given himself away. And when Luke didn't speak, Han used the uncertainty that lay behind Luke's eyes to make his escape while there was still a chance to get out unscathed. 

"Well, I'll just go 'n find Lando," he muttered. Hurriedly, he closed the door behind him, certain that Luke would stay standing there for a while in the midst of his confusion. Han knew he should've gone about things in a different way. He owed Luke at least an explanation, but the idea of giving it was just too difficult. Han had spent almost his entire life managing to avoid feeling this way for someone, and the fact that it'd happened, and he was unable to control it, was unsettling. There wasn't even any point rehashing all the old arguments he'd had with himself over the past years, because everything came down to the same thing. His friendship with Luke was too important to be jeopardized.


	3. Chapter 3

Han was right that Luke remained standing, gazing at the door, for several long moments after Han had left. Then he turned and went into the 'fresher and stared at himself in the mirror, wondering what Han saw when he looked at him. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to be how Luke had imagined it, and ever since Han's discovery of the messages Luke had been receiving, there'd been a shift in Han's attitude that needed explaining.

Since leaving Tatooine the first time, any naivety Luke might have once possessed had long since left him. Since the death of the Emperor, he'd become a household name. One of the pitfalls of this was that he'd turned into an object of fascination for some, and the ways in which they chose to convey that fascination never ceased to amaze Luke. At first, he'd been startled by the messages. Puzzled that anybody could imagine doing some of the things to him that were detailed in the letters. That Han had found them equally bewildering, and even laughable, seemed to offer proof that Han saw him as the opposite of anything desirable. And that was just how Luke had expected him to feel.

Ever since Luke had known him, Han had expended a lot of energy discussing the merits of those he found attractive. Once, he'd gone further, and embroiled himself in a relationship that hadn't worked out. That Leia Organa and Han Solo were made for each other hadn't exactly been Luke's overriding thought, but it'd certainly been that of others. It hadn't ended up being Han and Leia's though, and Han was back to being the free-living, available-for-anything, let-me-show-you-my-ship type of spacer he pretended to be.

Yet there hadn't been strings of one-night-stands, nor any budding relationships that might take up where he'd left off with Leia. In fact, as far as Luke knew, there hadn't been anyone at all. And it hadn't been the idea of anyone wanting sex with Luke that Han had found so amusing. It was the bragging and the bravado exhibited by the message writers that he'd laughed at. Han had taken the trouble to make that clear.

Luke had, at first, put Han's reactions down to the protective attitude that Han still had around him. Yet he'd seemed put out by Luke's reference to Uncle Owen. Whatever Han had meant by it all, it had little to do with Luke's safety.

The second theory Luke had come up with was more complicated, because for all Han's sarcasm and oft-repeated diatribes about hokey religions, Han _had_ known about the Force before meeting Luke, and he _had_ understood that Ben was a Jedi of the type Chewbacca had told him about. And Han's understanding of Jedi seemed pretty much like everyone else's. That the Jedi were a bunch of eccentric loners who went around being committed and selfless, practicing abstinence from various activities, including sex. Quite why Han would see Luke like that was a bit of a mystery, because as far as Luke was concerned, he'd never intentionally given off any signals to indicate he wanted to live that way.

So Han's reaction to Luke's disclosure that he _would_ be interested in seeing the right person could be explained as simply surprise. Han had, in fact, admitted to being surprised. But then – surprise over – why would Han persist in questioning him?

This had led Luke to another, even more complex, theory, but one that he'd never really wanted to explore because it was unlikely to lead anywhere. Except towards disappointment. But now he needed to explore it, and the thought filled him with a new, anticipatory warmth that chased some of the chill from his body. It was risky to allow it, because the chances were he'd read Han wrong. But one way or the other, Luke had to know the truth.

***

Having ditched the planned tour for the remainder of the day, Lando had taken his dried-off and warmed-up friends into the nearest town for drinks and a meal. Not to the usual run-of-the-mill type cantina either. This was a restaurant, complete with place settings and server droids that actually took notice of their clientele.

It didn't suit Han and it didn't suit Luke, but Lando was in the mood for showing off his new position in society.

"You two should be used to this type of place by now," Lando said smoothly in response to Han's raised eyebrows.

"Yeah. It's the kinda place Madine chooses when he feels like gettin' his ass kissed," Han complained.

Lando grinned. "You know your trouble? You're just a low-life at heart. You'd rather be in some sleazy dive, having to watch your back all the time in case someone decides they don't like your face."

"Give me an honest scumbag any day."

And so it went on throughout the meal. Han kept up an almost constant flow of disparaging remarks, which Lando fielded, totally unperturbed. 

Luke said little, withdrawing into his own private thoughts to let the two of them get on with it. It crossed Luke's mind that Han was reverting to type because it made him feel comfortable. It was as much a protective shell for him as the public veneer of calm was for Luke. Covertly, he attempted to study Han for any signs of Han's former strangeness towards him, but it had disappeared. At least, on the surface it had. But when Luke caught Han's eye a little later in the meal, he saw a shadow of agitation cross Han's face. And when Han didn't look away immediately, Luke smiled at him, trying to alleviate the slight discomfort between them.

Han grinned back at him slowly, part apologetically and part uncomfortably, as though he was torn between the need to pretend there was nothing going on, and a wish to acknowledge that there was.

The moment was broken by Lando. "If I could just interrupt the two of you for a second – am I orderin' another flask of wine or not?"

Startled, Han scowled at Lando, and Luke looked between them in surprise. Because the possibilities that Luke was only now daring to consider had clearly occurred to Lando before. And it was obvious that Han knew that.

"Just order one. You don't have to check," Han growled.

"You might have other plans," Lando replied with a mock innocence that deepened Han's scowl.

"My only plans involve you and a long length of rope!"

"Hey, sounds promising," Lando leered. "Does Luke get to watch?"

Han ignored him and grabbed the empty wine flask before stalking off to the bar to get a refill himself.

Lando turned to Luke with an amused, questioning glance, but Luke gave him only a small shrug in return, attempting to dismiss Han's behaviour. After all, he only had a few vague possibilities in mind, and without anything more certain to latch onto he had no intention of voicing them.

Lando was not so prepared to let the matter go. "You must've worked it out."

"Worked what out?" Luke asked, downing the remaining contents of his wine goblet.

"Come on Luke, he's acting so damn weird it's gettin' beyond a joke."

"Are you talking about Han?"

"I'm pretty sure you've guessed what's going on. Even _I've_ known for a long time."

"Known what? Has he said something to you?"

"You kiddin' me? The guy's so deep in denial he's probably not even said it to himself."

"I think you've got the wrong idea."

"It's not the wrong idea and you know it as well as I do. He's been like this for so long now it's getting crazy. Ever since he ditched Leia–"

"Actually, Leia ditched him," Luke interrupted. It had happened very shortly after Endor, and neither Han nor Leia had ever elaborated. Just said they'd realized it wasn't going to work.

Lando laughed. "Yeah, 'n we all know why."

"It just didn't work out. Whatever happened was between the two of them."

"Must've been a bit of a disappointment for Leia though, realizing her hair was the wrong color, and she had curves in all the wrong places."

Something that felt a lot like shock angled in beneath Luke's rib-cage. The changes he'd seen in Han, the erratic behavior and barbed comments, had all been relatively recent, but Lando's implication, if there was any basis to it, threw everything into disarray. He'd always seen himself as being on the outside of Han and Leia's relationship. It had worked for him to see it that way, and it had seemed to work for Han and Leia too. But if he had to adjust to knowing that his role had been something else entirely...

Lando spoke into the uncomfortable silence that had descended. "Look – I'm sorry. It's none of my business, and maybe I should keep my nose out. But, y'know, the truth's just the truth ain't it? If Leia had been right for Han, they'd still be together now. Wouldn't have made any difference who else had been in the picture. And it works the other way round doesn't it – maybe Han wasn't right for Leia either?"

Luke looked hard at Lando. "Neither of us knows the truth though, and what you're saying's just speculation."

"Sure, but Han's changed a lot, and maybe it's more obvious to me 'cause we didn't see each other for years."

"I expect we've all changed a lot," Luke said.

"Yeah, but that's not what I meant. The way he was with Leia – that was, well, like the Han I knew. I don't mean he didn't care about her, but it went pretty much how I'd have expected. But with you..." Lando shrugged.

"I don't get you."

Lando drew a breath, and seemed to choose his next words with care. "It's serious with him this time. Really serious. I mean, I don't think he's interested if he can't have everything. What I'm tryin' to say is... I think for Han, there's not gonna be anyone else."

***

The fact that Han returned to the table not only with two full flasks of wine, but with an even deeper frown than he'd left with, didn't bode well for the rest of the evening. He slammed the flasks down with a murderous look back in the direction of the bar.

"Asshole," he muttered, just loud enough for the neighboring table's occupants to look over with disapproval.

"I'd have warned you, but you took off in such a hurry. You're not supposed to approach the bar directly. The server droids do it for you," Lando explained, somewhat contritely.

"What kind of a godsdamn stupid place is this anyway?"

Lando sighed. "Look, let's just have a couple more drinks then go find somewhere else. I'm sure there's a fleapit or two round here."

They didn't, in fact, move on to anywhere else. The edgy atmosphere had made even Lando irritable, and no-one seemed at all upset when he suggested they just go back to the mine complex.

"We can get an early start tomorrow and catch up with all we should've done today," Lando said. "Before you both fell in the lake," he added, spoiling the conciliatory tone of his first remark.

But Han's mood still hadn't recovered, even after the trip back to the complex, and he flung a curt "See you tomorrow" over his shoulder, before disappearing off down the corridor to the additional room Lando had sorted out.

Lando turned to Luke with a small shrug. "Don't let that misery guts spoil the rest of your evening. Come on, I'll get you a brandy."

"I'm fine Lando, thanks," Luke said. "I think I'm gonna turn in too. It's quite late."

"Sure. Sleep well then." He moved away, and then stopped. Luke waited for him to turn around.

"Luke – if you go and speak to him, you won't mention our little conversation will you?"

Luke smiled. "I don't deliberately look for trouble you know."

"Good," Lando grinned. "Only... it's more than my life's worth, if you get my meaning." 

"Don't worry, I get it."

***

Luke tapped on the door, waited for Han's curt "Yeah?", before pressing the door control.

It was dark in the room, the only light coming from a bedside glowpanel, which Han had turned down to its lowest setting. Han was lying on the bed, his boots off, and his hands folded behind his head. When Luke came through the door, he propped himself up slowly, and Luke could see the surprise on his face, even in the dim light.

"What're you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you."

"You've seen me all day."

"But since this afternoon I haven't had a chance to talk to you properly."

"What d'you wanna talk about?" Han peered at him through the gloom, a note of curiosity running through his voice.

"I've been thinking about the last couple of days." Luke sat down on the edge of the bed, watching Han. He could hear the edge of tension in his words and tried to filter it out. "About how you reacted to the messages you found on my com-console."

Han shrugged. "They were a surprise, that's all. No big deal. I just don't think you should have to sort 'em out. It's not like you've got a lot of time."

"It felt like there was more to it than that."

When Han said nothing, Luke continued. "At first, I thought you were being over-protective, and didn't trust me to take care of myself."

"Hey, I know I'm a pain in the ass, but I've backed down a lot on that, haven't I?" Han protested.

"Yes – which is why I don't think that was the reason for the way you acted."

"Right." Han's tone was guarded.

"And then you threw me a bit because it seemed like you expected me to live like the Jedi of the past. If they _did_ live like that."

"I don't expect you to live like anything. I didn't mean anything by that. I didn't know how you felt about it all, 'cause you've never said anything. And you're not seeing anyone, and I didn't know if it was because you hadn't met anyone, or you didn't wanna meet anyone. And you might've had some strange ideas that you've never told me about. You might've just assumed I already knew 'em."

Luke smiled. "That's as clear as mud, so it's good we've got that one straightened out."

Han grinned. "Yeah, it is isn't it?"

"But when you realized that I hadn't got all those imaginary strange ideas, you didn't just drop it did you? It really bothered you. And I'm sure it didn't bother you because you thought I ought to be behaving in a so-called Jedi-like way."

"I think you should behave in any way you want," Han insisted. "I've always thought that."

Luke nodded. "That's the conclusion I came to."

"So – is that it?"

"No, that's not it. It still doesn't explain your reaction. And this afternoon, I began to wonder about something else."

"Like what?"

Luke hesitated for a moment. "We've known each other for some time now, but maybe we've not been completely upfront with each other. I think... maybe it's time to change that."

"What're you saying?"

"Look, I'm gonna tell you something now, and it's hard for me to say it. Afterwards, if it's something you'd rather not've heard, I want you to promise me you won't let it ruin our friendship."

"Nothing's gonna ruin our friendship," Han said, confused. "Just tell me what it is. If it's something I've done then give me a chance to put it right."

"It's nothing like that." Luke shifted slightly on the bed, giving himself a few seconds to find the right words. "Back in my apartment, after you'd been reading my messages, you asked me something."

"Oh yeah – about that Ukamian with six hands?"

Luke gave a soft laugh. "Not that. You asked me if the right type of person had ever approached me."

"And you didn't answer. Just accused me of sounding like Uncle Owen."

"Well I'm answering now. No – the right person's never approached me. But would it've mattered to you if I'd said yes? Because it matters to me that it might've bothered you."

Han stared at him in confusion. "Why would it've mattered?"

"I'm hoping for the same reason that it might've mattered to you if I'd said yes."

Han rubbed a hand across his eyes. "This is the craziest conversation I've ever had with you. Just tell me, straight out, what you're tryin' to say."

"You spent a long time going on about all those things people wanted to do with me, and that was a problem for me."

"Why?"

Because in all the time you've known me, you've never looked at me that way, and the only time you bring the subject up is to rant about all those messages. It bothered me because it seemed such a strange idea to you."

"I told you I didn't think it was strange. I don't think people should inflict their fantasies on someone else, that's all. Not unless they know the other person wants 'em. It's one step away from stalking. And you don't wanna know what goes on in their heads do you?"

"No," Luke shook his head. "Not in _theirs_." He hesitated for a few seconds, holding Han's gaze with his own. "But if I ever thought you'd... well, if you've ever wondered about things between _us_ – I mean things beyond friendship – I _would_ like to know."

Han stared at him in silence, and Luke took a deep breath before continuing. "Because I've thought about it."

Han sat up fully on the bed, his eyes riveted on Luke's face. "You've thought about us together?"

"Yes."

Han seemed to be holding himself completely still. "Why?"

"Why do you think?"

"I dunno. I'm askin' you.

Luke's determination for honesty meant there was no possibility of backing out now. "Because... I've always felt something more for you. And I think it would be good."

"You... want that?" The strain in Han's voice matched the tension that Luke had failed to hide in his own words. It was a clear indicator that the conversation was as fraught with difficulties for Han as it was for Luke.

Luke nodded slowly. "Yes."

It took Han a few seconds to reply, and when he did, his air of disbelief was still present.

"Maybe you're here because it's night, and we've both had a few drinks. In the morning, things might look different."

Luke shook his head. "They won't look different to me. I'm here because I want to be with you."

But when Han stayed silent, Luke began to feel that he'd gone too far. Undoing what he'd said wasn't possible, but if Han felt uncomfortable, he should leave. He pushed up from the bed and walked towards the door.

"What're you doing?"

"I think I should go." Luke moved his hand towards the door control, but Han moved rapidly, propelling himself off the bed and to the door before Luke could open it. A hand closed around Luke's wrist.

"D'you wanna go?" Han demanded.

Luke twisted round to face him. "After everything I've said, you know I don't. But if you don't want this, or if you don't trust me..."

"I trust you with my goddamned life. But there are things I need to know."

"What things?"

"You said to me a minute ago that I'd never looked at you in that way, before I saw those messages. So d'you think the idea just popped into my head when I was reading them?"

"I don't know," Luke admitted. 

"But you came here tonight because you started to wonder about me – didn't you? About the way I feel. You wanna know what's goin' on inside my head."

"Yes. But you've said nothing to me, really. I've told you what _I_ want, but I don't know how you feel about that. I can only make guesses, and perhaps they're way off the mark."

Han dropped Luke's wrist and put both hands on Luke's shoulders. "They're not way off the mark. Yeah, I've thought about things between us," he acknowledged. "I've thought about them a lot, and for a long time. The crazy thing is, how long it's taken you to see it."

Luke shook his head. "I never looked for it."

"And that says something about how you see yourself."

Without realizing it, Luke had reached a hand out to Han's vest, his fingers closing round one of the metal fasteners. "Why did you never say anything?"

"Probably for the same reasons _you_ never said anything. Because I didn't know you'd be interested. Because it matters too much. Because I didn't want you to think I was just another person with yet another fantasy."

"But even now you're still not certain about me are you?"

Han sighed. "You wanted honesty, so I'm gonna give it to you. And maybe this is something _you_ won't wanna hear. See, the truth is, I don't want this if it's gonna be some one-off thing that we're both s'pposed to ignore tomorrow and say it won't change anything. There's gotta be more than that."

"Is that why you think I'm here?" Luke asked. "For casual sex that doesn't mean anything to me?"

"No, 'cause I think I know you better than that. 'S just – you're hard to figure sometimes."

"You've always made it clear to me that you won't want something if there are strings attached. If I'd come here tonight talking about commitment..."

"What? D'you think I'd run away and hide? Maybe I _want_ commitment. Maybe I _want_ strings attached. This ain't some simple curiosity thing for me, and I don't think you'd have come here at all if that was all _you_ wanted. But maybe I'm wrong?"

Luke shook his head. "No, you're not wrong. It's just... well... I told myself I had to hold back."

"Hey – that's the last thing I'd want you to do," Han pointed out with a meaningful grin.

Luke smiled slowly back at him. "But does it tell you what you needed to know?"

"I guess so," Han said. His manner had changed from hesitancy to something much more focused, and he purposefully moved as close as he could to Luke without actually touching him anywhere other than the grip he still had on Luke's shoulders. "But what about you? Or are you still thinkin' of leaving?"

"I'm thinking that I'd like to know more about the stuff that's in your head."

Han moved a hand towards Luke's neck, ran the tip of a finger across the edge of Luke's collarbone. "'S difficult to explain in _words_ ," he said in a deliberate, low murmur. "And it's gonna take some time."

Luke closed his eyes for a few seconds, absorbing the rush of desire that stemmed from Han's words, and all the implicit promise that lay behind them. He opened them again to meet Han's intent gaze. "Then maybe you'd better start."

***

Sometime in the night, Lando asked himself what had possessed him to give Han a room next door to his own. Having spent most of his life traveling, passing though one seedy, thin-walled guesthouse to the next, Lando had overheard pretty much everything there was to be heard from neighboring rooms. He'd slept through noisy sex between all manner of species, encompassing Gamorrean grunts, Shistavanen roars, Ewok chirrups, and human moans and sighs. These days, unless he was an active participant, very little surprised him, intrigued him, or ruffled his composure.

But tonight, it seemed, he was going to go without his much-needed beauty sleep, because Luke was managing to do all three. And it was all Han's fault. Because, lying there alone, it was impossible for Lando not to wonder just what Han was doing to Luke to make him groan like that. Whatever it was, it went on and on – with Luke making edgy, gasping, barely-in-control sounds that set all of Lando's nerve-endings alight. And just when Lando assumed it must nearly be over, Luke went quiet and Han started up. And Han had no inkling as to the meaning of the word restraint.

Lando burrowed further down into his bedding, and resigned himself to wait for either morning, or for Han and Luke to decide they'd had enough of each other. Somehow, Lando suspected morning would arrive first.

~end~


End file.
